Autogenous Bone Added to ß-TCP Did Not Boost Sinus Graft Bone Formation

Edited by Dentaltown staff

Mixing autogenous bone into a beta-tricalcium phosphate sinus graft did not increase the amount of new bone formed after 10 months of healing, according to a split-mouth randomized controlled trial published Aug. 22 in Clinical Oral Investigations.

Fifteen patients underwent bilateral maxillary sinus floor elevation. One sinus was randomly assigned to receive ß-TCP alone and the other a 1:1 mixture of ß-TCP and autogenous bone, so each patient served as their own control. Implants were placed 10 months later, with biopsies taken at that appointment for histomorphometry.

Sinuses grafted with the mixture showed 43.75% bone, and sinuses grafted with ß-TCP alone showed 49.32%. Implant insertion torque measured 37.71 Ncm in the combination sites and 41.88 Ncm in the ß-TCP sites. Neither difference favored the addition of autogenous bone.

Graft dimensions told a different story. Cone beam computed tomography recorded linear height in the combination sinuses at 3.38 mm before surgery, 14.18 mm at 14 days, and 12.12 mm at 10 months. The ß-TCP-only sinuses measured 3.17 mm, 15.62 mm, and 11.81 mm at the same intervals.

Graft volume reduction was greater where ß-TCP was used alone, and that difference was more pronounced in sinuses with less residual bone height. The authors concluded that adding autogenous bone did not enhance histological bone formation but did improve graft volume maintenance, particularly in more atrophic sinuses.

Luiz Cesar Peruzzo, Rafael Silveira Faeda, Rogério Margonar, Guilherme José Pimentel Lopes de Oliveira, Elcio Marcantonio, and colleagues conducted the trial.

Fifteen patients is a small sample even for a split-mouth design, and healing was assessed at a single 10-month interval. Implant survival over time was not among the reported outcomes.

Sources:
Clinical Oral Investigations, “Autogenous bone grafting does not enhance bone repair in maxillary sinuses grafted with ß-tricalcium phosphate: a split-mouth randomized controlled trial,” published online Aug. 22, 2026: link.springer.com/10.1007/s00784-026-07081-6